News > Ancient DNA Sheds Light on Extinct ‘Horned’ Crocodile

Ancient DNA Sheds Light on Extinct ‘Horned’ Crocodile

An international team of scientists has recovered and analyzed partial mitochondrial genomes from 1,300-1,400-year-old specimens of Voay robustus, a recently extinct species of ‘horned’ crocodile that lived in Madagascar. 

Their results indicate that this endemic represented the sister lineage to true crocodiles (Crocodylus) and that the ancestor of modern crocodiles likely originated in Africa.